Plastic bag package

ABSTRACT

A package of plastic bags, preferably T-shirt bags, is disclosed. The bags are provided in separate bundles with a predetermined number of bags in each bundle. Two thirds of each bundle is folded over the remaining one third. Pairs of bundles are placed in a box with each pair including a bundle having its edges facing one direction and an adjacent bundle with its edges facing in the opposite direction, the edges of the short portions facing each other. A section of the long portion of one of the adjacent bundles is interposed between the facing edges of the bundles. Typically, each box will contain five or ten pairs of such bundles.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to the packaging of plastic bags and, in particular, to the packing of T-shirt bags.

BACKGROUND

Plastic bags of the type known as T-shirt bags are widely used throughout the world. A T-shirt bag is typically formed from a tube of extruded plastic (e.g. polyethylene). The tube is gusseted and seal lines are formed in the gusseted flattened tube to form blanks from which the individual bags are formed. The blanks are cut from the moving tube and bundled, for example, in stacks of 50 to 100 blanks. These blanks are then passed to a cutting station where the handles are die cut to form the individual T-shirt bags. T-shirt bags come in different forms and different sizes and very often include tabs or the like to help mount the bags on a supporting rack. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,877,473 and 5,464,098 are representative of T-shirt bags.

After manufacture, each bundle is folded in half and placed in a corrugated cardboard box for transportation and storage. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a prior art package in which a bundle of T-shirt bags is placed in a cardboard box 12 shaped to receive the bundle. In FIG. 1, the bundle 10 is folded in half with the open end facing to the left and the folded end to the right. The second folded bundle is placed in the box, as shown in FIG. 2, and positioned so that its open end faces to the right. This is done to compensate for the greater thickness of the bags at the bottom and top seals. Because the bags are folded in half, the added thickness of the seals causes the bundle to be thicker at its open end as compared to the folded end.

Typically, each box contains 1000 bags, i.e. ten or twenty bundles of one hundred or fifty bags each. Due to the greater thickness of each bundle at its ends, the stack tends to form a depression in the center. The last bundle is usually folded in thirds and placed over the center of the previously placed bundle to fill the entire volume of the box.

The handles of the bags are relatively slippery and because of the way in which the bundles are stacked, one on top of the other, the free ends of the handles 11 may tend to shift from their position in the corner of the box during handling and transportation. If this should happen, the stack of bundles becomes unstable and the weight of the bundles needs to be supported by the box. This means that the boxes must be relatively strong which is a factor in the cost of the package as well as transportation.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,301 shows a way of packaging plastic bags in which the stack of bundles is more stable than in the above described prior art. As a result, the weight bearing capability of the package can be less than in the prior art. This means that the box can be made of thinner, i.e. less expensive, material.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a conventional bundle of T-shirt bags 10 is folded with the upper one third 10A encompassing the handle portion being folded over the bottom two thirds 10B as shown in the drawings. The upper edges 10C of the bundle falls at the half way point of the long portion 10B. The folded bundle is then placed in the bottom of the box. The next bundle 14 is folded in the same way and placed in the box as shown in FIG. 4 so that the upper edges 13 of the smaller portions abut against each other. In a sense the two bundles are “nested” together.

In this prior art plastic bag package, a third 10A of the first bundle 10 is folded over the remaining two thirds 10B. The first bundle 10 is then placed in the box 12 so that the upper third 10A overlaps the bottom two thirds 10B. A third of the second bundle 14 is folded under the remaining two thirds, and the second bundle 14 is rotated 180° with respect to the first bundle 10. The second bundle 14 is then placed in the box 12 so that the bottom two thirds overlaps the upper third and so that the upper edges 13 of the bags abut each other.

Each successive bundle is folded a different way. As shown in FIG. 4, one bundle is folded so that the upper third overlaps the bottom two thirds and the next bundle is folded so that the upper third is underneath the bottom two thirds. This complicates the automation process for placing the bundles in the boxes.

The invention provides a new way of packaging plastic bags, and in particular, T-shirt bags, in which the process for placing the bundles in the boxes is less complicated and more efficient, which can save time and money. This invention also provides a stable stack of bundles, thereby allowing a lower weight bearing capability of the package. The box can be made of thinner, i.e. less expensive, material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description and drawings of the illustrative embodiments of the invention wherein like reference numbers refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a prior art T-shirt bag package;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the prior art T-shirt bag package of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of another prior art T-shirt bag package; and

FIG. 4 is an end view of the prior art T-shirt bag package of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is an end view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a preferred embodiment of the invention. A conventional bundle 10 of T-shirt bags is folded with the bottom two thirds 10B being folded over the upper one third 10A encompassing the handle portions 11. The bottom two thirds 10B includes a middle one third 10C and a lower one third 10D, as shown in the drawings. The upper edges 13 of the bundle 10 falls at approximately the half way point of the long portion 10B.

The folded bundle 10 is then placed in the bottom of the box 12 so that the bottom two thirds 10B covers the upper one third 10A of the folded bundle, as shown in FIG. 5. More specifically, the middle one third 10C overlaps the upper one third 10A of the bundle, which lies flush against the bottom of the box 12. Most of the lower one third 10D is also positioned flush against the bottom of the box 12 and is therefore generally coplanar with the upper one third 10A.

A second bundle 14 is folded in the same way with the bottom two thirds 14B being folded over the upper one third 14A. The bottom two thirds 14B of the second bundle 14 includes a middle one third 14C and a lower one third 14D. This second bundle 14 is then rotated 180° with respect to the first bundle 10 and placed in the box 12, as shown in FIG. 6, on top of the first bundle 10. As a result, the upper one third 14A of the second bundle 14 overlaps the lower one third 10D of the first bundle 10 and is generally coplanar with the middle one third 10C of the first bundle 10. The middle one third 14C and the lower one third 14D of the second bundle 14 cover the upper one third 14A of the second bundle 14 and the middle one third 10C of the first bundle 10, respectively.

As a result, the pair of bundles 10, 14 forms a generally three-layered structure with the depth of each layer equal to the depth of a single bundle. The three-layered structure includes top and bottom surfaces 15, 16 that are substantially flat and parallel, as shown in FIG. 6. The two bundles 10, 14 are considered to be “nested” together.

In the bags illustrated in the figures, each bag 10 includes a mounting tab 18. The bottoms and tops of the individual bags have seal lines 20 and 22, respectively, which as noted above, slightly increase the thickness of the bags at the edges. With the nested arrangement as shown in FIG. 6, the bundles tend to lay flatter since the sealed edges 20, 22 fall at the ends of the folded bags as well as in the center. Since the number of sealed edges in a given package is the same at each of the three places, the variation in height is diminished.

The next pair of bundles (not shown) would be nested and packaged in the same way, and so forth until the desired number of bundles is packaged. For example, a third bundle (not shown) can be folded identically to the first and second bundles with the bottom two thirds folded over the upper one third. Then, the third bundle is rotated 180° with respect to the second bundle and placed in the box over the second bundle. Thus, each successive bundle can be folded in the same way and then rotated 1800 with respect to the previous bundle. This repetition of steps is an advantage for the automation process for placing the bundles in the boxes.

Alternatively, the third bundle can be placed on top of the second bundle without being rotated 1800. The fourth bundle is then folded identically to the other bundles, rotated 180° with respect to the third bundle, and placed on top of the third bundle. Thus, in this embodiment, every other bundle is rotated 180° with respect to the previous bundle.

In another alternative, the methods for rotating and arranging the various bundles described above can be intermixed as long as each pair of bundles creates a nested arrangement as shown in FIG. 6.

With the nesting arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the folded parts of the bundles are much less likely to shift during packing and shipping. As a result, the stack of bundles is less likely to topple, and the bundles are, therefore, self-supporting. This means that the sides of the box are not required to support the weight of the bundles. Typically, each box will contain twenty bundles (ten pairs) of fifty bags each or ten bundles (five pairs) of one hundred bags each although obviously the invention does not depend on the number of bundles or the number of bags in a bundle.

T-shirt bags of the type used in grocery stores and other similar retail establishments come in a number of predetermined sizes. In the prior art, when these bags are folded, they are very often almost square which is undesirable when a number of boxes are being stacked on a pallet. A subsidiary benefit of the invention is that with these conventional sizes, the boxes tend to be more rectangular. Rectangular boxes can be interlocked on a pallet which means that the stack of boxes on the pallet is more stable and therefore less likely to collapse than in the case of square boxes.

Plastic bags other than T-shirt bags are also commonly used throughout the world but for the most part such bags are not stacked and packaged in boxes as described herein. The invention, however, would be applicable to bags other than T-shirt bags.

In the preferred embodiment, a third of each bundle is folded under the remaining two thirds, but the invention also contemplates the possibility of folding the bundles in different proportions. For such arrangements, it is preferable to nest the bundles so that each pair of bundles is nested as described above.

Furthermore, in another embodiment, a third of each bundle can be folded over the remaining two thirds, which results in the arrangement of nested bundles as shown in FIG. 6 turned upside down.

Having described embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 

1. A package of plastic bags, comprising: a box; a first bundle of plastic bags folded so that two thirds of the bundle overlay the remaining one third, the bundle being placed in the box so that the two thirds covers the one third and with the edges facing a first direction; and at least one additional bundle of plastic bags folded in the same way as said first bundle and placed in the box, wherein the two thirds of the additional bundle covers the one third of the additional bundle, and said additional bundle being oriented with its edges facing in a direction opposite said first direction.
 2. A package according to claim 1, wherein the bags are T-shirt bags.
 3. A package of plastic bags according to claim 1, wherein the area of the box is approximately equal to the area of the long portion of a bundle.
 4. A package of plastic bags, comprising: a box, a plurality of folded bundles of bags within the box, each bundle being folded to form a long portion and a short portion, the bundles being stacked so that the edges of two adjacent bundles of bags face each other and at least a section of the long portion of one of the adjacent bundles is interposed between the facing edges.
 5. A package of plastic bags according to claim 4, wherein at least a first portion of the long portion of said one of the adjacent bundles is disposed on a first plane and at least a second portion is disposed on a second plane, wherein said section of the bundle that is interposed between the facing edges is transitionally disposed between the first and second planes.
 6. A package of plastic bags, comprising: a box; a first bundle of plastic bags folded so that the bottom two thirds of the bundle overlay the remaining upper one third, the bottom two thirds including a middle one third and a lower one third, the bundle being placed in the box so that middle one third overlaps the upper one third of the bundle, the upper one third lying flush against the bottom of the box with the edges facing a first direction, and a portion of the lower one third lying flush against the bottom of the box, whereby the lower one third is generally coplanar with the upper one third; and at least one additional bundle of plastic bags folded in the same way as said first bundle and placed in the box on top of the first bundle with its edges facing in a direction opposite said first direction, whereby the upper one third of the additional bundle overlaps the lower one third of the first bundle and is generally coplanar with the middle one third of the first bundle, the middle one third and the lower one third of the additional bundle cover the upper one third of the additional bundle and the middle one third of the first bundle, respectively.
 7. A package of plastic bags, comprising: a box; a first bundle of plastic bags folded so that the top third of the bundle overlays the remaining lower two thirds, the bottom two thirds including a middle one third and a lower one third, the bundle being placed in the box so that top one third overlaps the middle one third of the bundle, the middle and lower two thirds lying flush against the bottom of the box with the edges facing a first direction; and at least one additional bundle of plastic bags folded in the same way as said first bundle and placed in the box on top of the first bundle with its edges facing in a direction opposite said first direction, whereby the upper one third of the additional bundle overlaps the middle one third of the additional bundle and is generally coplanar with the lower one third of the additional bundle, the lower one third and the middle one third of the additional bundle cover the upper one third and the lower one third of the first bundle, respectively. 